U. S. Environmental
Protection Agency
Occupant Emergency Plan
3rd Street, NW Building Handbook
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INTRODUCTION
The Facilities Management and Services
Division, Office of Administration, Office of
Administration and Resources Management,
developed this Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP)
Handbook to assist you in safely evacuating the 633 3rd
Street, N.W. Building during emergency situations.
This Handbook briefly describes everyone's
responsibilities before, during, and after an evacuation.
We ask that you take the time to become familiar with
your building, know where your emergency exits and
stairwells are located, and follow the instructions of
your OEP Team members identified by baseball-type
hats. The hats are color coded based on their
particular position. (See page 2.)
Training will be conducted on an annual basis.
It is important that you take the time to attend the
training when it is offered.
We appreciate your participation and
recommend that you keep this Handbook in a
convenient place for easy reference. Remember,
should the fire alarm sound, you (those that can) are
required to immediately evacuate the building in a
quiet and orderly manner and meet at your
designated assembly areas outside the building.
(See list of assembly areas on page 1.) By working
together, we can heighten the awareness of all
employees and provide fojUheir,sa/ety.
Rich LemleyJ^ifector
Facilities Management
and Services Division
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
633 3"1 Street Assembly Areas 1
OEP Team Members (hat colors) 2
Basic Evacuation Instructions 3
Employee Checklist 5
Manager/Supervisor Responsibilities 10
OEP Team Member Responsibilities 13
Floor Monitors (red hats) 14
Exit Monitors (green hats) 15
Area Monitors (purple hats) 16
Building Monitors (burgundy hats) 17
Command Center (white hats) 17
Damage Assessment (blue hats) 19
Persons Who Require Assistance
and Their Monitors' Responsibilities 20
(Yellow Hats)
Assistance Form 23
Telephone Numbers to Remember 25
Bomb Threat Checklist 26
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HOLY ROSARY
CATHOLIC CHURCH
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633 3rd Street Assembly Areas
Outside Assembly Area
Left of Building In front of the Holy Rosary
Catholic Church on 3* Street.
Right of Building 3rd & G Street in front of the
Jewish Museum/Synagogue
Inside Assembly Areas for Employees
Needing Assistance
EPA Only Floors 7lh and 8lh
Elevator Lobby Area
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OEP Building Team Members
Position Hat Color
Floor Monitor Red
Exit Monitor Green
Area Monitor Purple
Assistance Monitor Yellow
Building Monitor Burgundy
Command Center White
Damage Assessment Blue
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Basic Evacuation Instructions
for EPA Employees
In the event of a building emergency, alarms will
sound on all floors of the 633 3rd Street Building. This
system provides an audible tone and strobe signal/ In
addition to having systems to detect smoke, heat, and
fire at the earliest stage, the building is equipped with
full sprinkler protection to extinguish a fire before it
becomes dangerous.
The Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP) Team
members, who are identified by baseball-type hats, will
assume their positions and assist in the orderly
evacuation of employees from the floors. If the alarm
sounds, ALL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ABLE, MUST
IMMEDIATELY EVACUATE THE BUILDING. THERE
ARE ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS
RULE. If you choose not to evacuate, you may be
subject to a written reprimand. (See EPA's Conduct
and Discipline Order 3120.1, Appendix - Guidance on
Corrective Discipline, pages A3-4, number 2.b.) The
Federal Protective Service (FPS) has the authority to
arrest employees who endanger their own lives, or the
lives of rescue personnel, by remaining in a building
when employees are required to evacuate.
* Please note: Strobe lights can cause seizures. If you are
aware of anyone in your office who may be affected by the
strobes, special precautions may need to be taken Employees
may need to wear dark sun glasses or possibly a blind fold while
the strobes are flashing.
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Employees who require assistance to evacuate
are to meet their Assistance Monitor and proceed to
the designated assembly area on their floor.
Rescue/fire personnel will evacuate employees
should it become necessary. Designated assembly
areas are equipped with a telephone which will allow
communication with the lobby guards and rescue
personnel. Elevator lobby areas (on EPA floors) are
designated as "Assembly Areas" for persons with
disabilities.
In the event of an evacuation, the contract
guards have been instructed to turn away employees
attempting to gain access into the building. No one will
be allowed to access the building until the emergency
is over. If an employee is out of the building when the
emergency begins, they must remain outside until the
situation is over and an official "ALL CLEAR" is given.
Sometimes the emergency and the need to
evacuate the building will be communicated by word of
mouth or via a telephone tree within each program
office/organization. This would be considered a "silent
alarm" and may be used if a bomb threat is received or
suspicious package is found. Once the OEP Team is
notified, they are to assume their posts and facilitate an
orderly evacuation.
The 633 3rd Street OEP is a "living" document
and is intended to ensure employees are aware of their
responsibilities and can safely evacuate in the event of
a building emergency.
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Employee Checklist
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
AND BE ABLE TO DO
Before an emergency, be sure to:
• Attend annual OEP training;
• Have your list of emergency telephone numbers
handy;
• Know the assembly areas for persons requiring
assistance to evacuate;
• Know the location of the nearest red fire alarm
pull station;
• Know the location of the nearest emergency
exit/stairwell;
• Know your designated assembly area outside
the building; and
• Know the OEP Team members on your floor.
When the fire alarm sounds or an emergency is
announced:
• Stay calm;
• Listen to the instructions of your OEP Team
members (Floor, Exit, and Area Monitors)
and immediately evacuate offices, conference
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rooms, restrooms, pantries, etc., by the nearest
emergency exit/stairwell. There are NO
EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE, if the alarm
sounds and you are able, you MUST
EVACUATE.
Should you be advised that the evacuation is a
"silent alarm" due to a bomb threat or suspicious
package, check your personal area to see if you
notice anything strange or out of place, i.e.,
briefcase, package, bundle or box that is not
yours. Look for wires, greasy/oily packaging,
etc. If you do find an item you cannot identify,
DO NOT TOUCH OR DISTURB IT. NOTIFY
YOUR SUPERVISOR. AREA. OR FLOOR
MONITOR. Contact EPA Security
immediately at 564-6352 or the lobby guard
at 9-874-5808. Give them your name and
location of the item. Continue with your
evacuation and meet EPA Security at an area
you have agreed upon.
DO NOT USE ELEVATORS. Elevators are
programmed to recall to the ground floor during
an alarm situation. They are for the use of fire
rescue personnel only. You could be stranded
on the fire floor should you try to use the
elevator. The shaft also could act as a means
for the fire to reach upper floors.
Exit the building at ground level and proceed to
your designated assembly area outside the
building.
Await further instructions from the OEP Team
members.
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If you should detect a fire:
• Pull the red fire alarm pull station closest to the
fire and leave by the nearest emergency
stairwell;
• Notify the guard of the location of the fire or call
9-708-1111 as you leave the building; and
• Report the fire or call for help by calling the
633 3rd Street lobby guard on 9-874-5808.
If you should receive a bomb threat or are aware of
a threat of violence:
Refer to the EPA Bomb Threat Check List which
can be found on page 26 of this booklet;
Call EPA Security at 564-6352 or 633 3rd Street
lobby guard on 9-874-5808; and
• Await further instruction(s) from EPA Security,
Federal Protective Service, or your OEP Team
members.
In case of a medical emergency (illness or injury):
• If life threatening, call 9-911, Federal Protective
Service on 9-708-1111, and the 633 3rd Street
lobby guard on 9-874-5808.
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In case of building related emergencies:
• If labor assistance is needed, call Moving
Services on 260-2140.
• Water or plumbing problem: Building Services
Desk on 564-2100.
• Power outage: Building Services Desk on
564-2100.
REMINDERS
• DO NOT endanger your safety or the safety of
others by lingering in your office to collect
work in progress or complete a telephone
call.
• Since you may not be able to re-enter the
building for some period of time following an
evacuation, be sure to take essential personal
items, i.e., medicines, coats, wallets/purses, ID
card (100% card check when returning to the
building) and car keys with you.
• No one can re-enter an evacuated area until the
evacuation is complete, the cause of the
evacuation has been investigated, and the
determination made that the area is again safe
for occupancy. At this time, an "All Clear"
announcement will be made by the Fire
Department or the EPA Designated Official.
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Monitor local news outlets or the specially
designated Agency Hotline number,
(202) 564-1000, for information regarding
extended closures of EPA facilities.
If you have questions about what to do in the
event of an emergency or if you require special
assistance in the event of an evacuation, contact
your manager or supervisor, or the EPA OEP
Coordinator at 564-2030. Please let us know if
you have a temporary condition, i.e., broken leg,
recent surgery, etc., which would necessitate
special accommodations to evacuate. (See
page 23 of this handbook for an Assistance
Form.)
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Manager/Supervisor Responsibilities
When the alarm sounds and/or an emergency is
announced, each manager/supervisor is
responsible for:
• Reminding their employees of their responsibility
to:
evacuate the building immediately;
- ensure aH members of the workforce
under their responsibility (federal,
contractor, SEE, student, intern, etc.) and
visitors, who need help in getting to a
designated assembly area, are assisted;
and,
inform the OEP Team member of the
location, name, and the assistance
needed by individuals in the assembly
area.
• Meeting their staff at their designated assembly
area outside the building;
• Maintaining communication with the OEP Team
members, i.e., the Agency's Designated Official;
• Awaiting instructions from the OEP Team
members and following their directions; and
• Obtaining feedback from their workforce about
the evacuation, addressing identified problems,
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and notifying the EPA OEP Coordinator of these
problems by calling 564-2030 or by E-mailing a
message to Group OEP E-mail box.
If a member of the workforce or a visitor cannot
evacuate, the manager or supervisor should:
• Ascertain whether the individual needs
assistance;
• Ensure they are assisted to the assembly area, if
they do;
• Remind individuals who refuse to evacuate of
their responsibility to leave; and
• Provide to the Floor Monitor and OEP Building
Monitor the names and locations of any
remaining individuals, and whether they need
assistance.
Each manager or supervisor should:
• Ensure that all members of the workforce attend
annual OEP training, which will be presented by
the Facilities Management and Services
Division, Office of Administration;
• Ensure that members of the workforce are
familiar with evacuation routes and know their
assembly area outside the building;
Note: Managers/supervisors should
designate an area within the designated
assembly area for their employees to meet.
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Review evacuation procedures periodically,
including the "Employee Checklist," with their
staff;
Encourage their staff to periodically review the
633 3rd Street EPA OEP Handbook;
Assign Assistance Monitors for persons
needing special assistance (both a primary and
an alternate) or accept the responsibility
themselves;
Ensure an Assistance Form for each person
requiring assistance is submitted to the EPA
OEP Coordinator at Mail Code 3204-R; and
Provide revisions (as changes occur) to the EPA
OEP Coordinator by E-mail at Group OEP, or
mail the changes to the EPA OEP Coordinator at
Mail Code 3204-R.
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OEP Team Member Responsibilities
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
AND BE ABLE TO DO
Before an emergency, be sure to:
• Attend annual OEP training;
• Know the OEP Team members located on your
floor;
Know the Assistance Monitors and the
individuals who require assistance to evacuate
and the locations of their assembly areas;
• Have your list of emergency telephone numbers,
i.e., OEP Coordinator and program telephone
tree, handy;
• Know the location of the nearest red fire alarm
pull station;
• Know the location of the nearest emergency
exit/stairwell; and
• Know your designated assembly area outside
the building.
When the fire alarm sounds or an emergency is
announced:
• Stay calm;
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• Put on your OEP emergency hat;
• Meet at the elevator lobbies to determine
whether all monitors are available;
Follow the instructions of the Floor Monitor; and
• Perform assigned duties.
Floor Monitors (Red Hats)
Get into position at your assigned post at the
elevator lobby by the elevators;
• Meet with Area and Exit Monitors and assign
duties to alternates, if primary monitors are not
available;
• Monitor the elevators/stairwells and receive
information from Area and Exit Monitors on the
status of their assigned area, i.e., all clear or
employees remain. (They should include the
room/location and name, if possible.) After all
Area Monitors have reported, the Floor
Monitor shall:
Check the assembly areas to ensure employees
who require assistance have evacuated (those
that can) and ensure you have the names and
locations of the Assistance Monitors and the
challenged employees who cannot;
• Release the Area Monitors after they have
reported the status of their areas;
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• Walk to the nearest emergency stairwell and
evacuate with the Exit Monitors.
• Ensure the stairwell door is closed.
• Report to the OEP Building Monitor the status of
their floor. Provide the names and locations of
any employees who may need assistance to
evacuate or those employees who refused to
evacuate; and go to your designated assembly
area outside the building.
NOTE: The Alternate Floor Monitor will assist the Floor
Monitor when necessary, and fill in for the Floor Monitor
in his/her absence. They may also assist in evacuating
employees.
Exit Monitors (Green Hats)
• Meet the Floor Monitor at the elevator lobby;
• Follow the instructions of the Floor Monitor;
• Respond to assigned stairwell;
• Ensure the stairwell is free of smoke, fire, or
obstructions;
• Ensure the stairwell door remains open to allow for
easy exit until the last employees on the floor have
departed;
• Direct traffic flow through the door/stairwell,
• Report to the Floor Monitor located at the elevator
lobby when the last employee has departed;
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• Exit through the stairwell to the outside and go to
the designated outside assembly areas ensuring
that the stairwell door is closed.
Area Monitors (Purple Hats) are mobile. They will:
• Meet the Floor Monitor at the elevator lobby on
your floor to determine if all monitors are
available to assume their positions;
Follow the instructions of the Floor Monitor;
• Check your assigned areas to ensure everyone
has evacuated; this includes not only office/work
space, but conference rooms, restrooms,
pantries, storage rooms, copier rooms, etc.;
• Notify all the occupants of their responsibility to
evacuate;
Ensure all doors are closed for a fire emergency
and open for a bomb threat or suspicious
package;
• Place post-its on each door/area to indicate the
area was checked and is clear;
• Report to the Floor Monitor at the elevator lobby
the status of your area. Give the names and
locations of those employees who need
assistance to evacuate or refused to evacuate to
the Floor Monitor; and,
• Evacuate through the nearest stairwell and
report to your designated assembly area.
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Building Monitors (Burgundy Hats)
• Report to the ground floor main entrance
• Receive and log information on status of the
floors from each Floor Monitor annotating the
time that each floor is "declared clear";
• Report status to the Designated Official who will
be with the 633 3rd Street Command Center
Team; and
• Go to your assigned assembly area.
633 3rd Street Command Center Team (White Hats)
Consists of the Designated Official, 633 3rd Street OEP
Coordinators (Security and Facilities), GSA Building
Manager, Building Engineer, Federal Protective
Service, Fire Department, and Designated Official for
each Agency. The Command Center Team will
coordinate emergency response activities and
determine the status of the building. The Command
Center Team will assemble at the ground floor lobby
(when safe to do so) or outside at the Holy Rosary
Church.
The Designated Official will:
• Be the liaison with fire rescue personnel, law
enforcement, and the GSA Building Manager;
Provide recommendations based on situation to
senior management;
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• Share information with the other Agencies
Designated Officials; and,
• Declare an "All Clear" when appropriate. This
information will be shared with OEP Team
members and guards first and then employees
so that an orderly return to the building will
occur.
Agency Designated Official for each Agency will:
Keep their Agency informed of the status of the
evacuation.
Guards
Guard located at the main entry point is to
remain at the desk/post to control access to the
building during emergency situations. He/She
will remain in place as long as it is safe to do so.
He/she will receive calls from disabled
employees and maintain communication with
them on the status of the evacuation.
In an actual emergency, all guards should follow
the instructions of the Federal Protective
Service.
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Damage Assessment Team (Blue Hats) is comprised
of the Facility Manager (as needed), Health and Safety
(as needed), and the GSA Building Manager/PSI
Engineer.
• Report to the site of the emergency, if safe to do so.
Assess the emergency and make recommendations
to the Designated Official.
EPA OEP Command Center Team (located at the Ronald
Reagan Building) will be activated upon notification of an
emergency situation in any of our headquarters buildings.
Its responsibility is to coordinate any additional assistance
that may be required by the on-site OEP Team, i.e.,
telecommunications, media relations, health and safety, or
human resources. The EPA OEP Coordinator will
coordinate assistance and prepare written notification as
required.
Support Team will be activated based on the extent of the
emergency and at the discretion of the EPA OEP '
Coordinator in consultation with the Designated Official.
This team may include: media relations,
telecommunications, health and safety, and human
resources.
U.S. EPA Headquarters Library
Mail code 3201
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20460
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Persons Who Require Assistance to
Evacuate and their Assistance Monitors1
Responsibilities (Yellow Hats)
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
AND BE ABLE TO DO
Before an emergency:
Persons who require assistance to evacuate the
building should:
• Attend annual OEP training;
• Notify their supervisor, if they require assistance
during an emergency situation;
Know the locations and telephone numbers of
their Assistance, Area, and Floor Monitors;
• Know the location of assembly areas, i.e.,
elevator lobby. Employees on the ground floor
should be able to evacuate.
• Ensure a current Assistance Form has been
forwarded to the EPA OEP Coordinator at Mail
Code 3204-R. (See page 23 for a copy of the
form.) A yellow hat will be provided to your
Assistance Monitor when your form is received.
If you have any questions regarding
this form, you may call the EPA OEP
Coordinator on 564-2030.
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Assistance Monitors should:
• Know the locations and telephone numbers of
persons requiring assistance;
Know their Area and Floor Monitors; and
• Be familiar with the assembly areas for persons
who require assistance on their floor.
When the fire alarm sounds or an emergency is
announced:
Assistance Monitors (Yellow Hats) shall:
• Meet the person requiring assistance at a pre-
determined location.
• Proceed together to the assembly area (elevator
lobby) on their floor.
Notify the guards of their presence by using
the telephone located at the assembly area
(for EPA floors 7 & 8).
• Notify the Area Monitor of your presence.
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NOTE: Employees who can use the steps are asked to
wait until the crush of employees has left. Those who
cannot use the steps should wait in the assembly area
for instructions from OEP Team members identified by
red, green, purple, white, or blue hats. In most
instances, challenged employees will not be
assisted from the building. Should evacuation
become necessary, fire rescue personnel will do
this.
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ASSISTANCE FORM*
for individuals requiring help
during a building evacuation
(Please type or print legibly)
Date Submitted.
Name of person requiring assistance:
Type of assistance required.
Is the need for assistance permanent temporary
(days, weeks, months)
Bldg. Room No. Phone No.
Mail Code Do you have a flexi-place schedule?.
What days are you at work?
Name of Primary Assistance Monitor.
Room No Phone No. Mail Code_
Name of Alternate Assistance Monitor
Room No Phone No Mail Code
Name of Manager or Supervisor
Signature
AAship, Office, Division, Branch
* A separate form for each employee (federal employee, contractor,
SEE, student, intern, etc.) who may need assistance, i e., mobility,
seeing, or hearing impairment, respiratory or heart condition, broken leg
or surgery, etc; should be returned to the EPA OEP Coordinator at
Mail Code 3204-R. Please remember to keep this information up-to-
date and provide changes as they occur Information provided will be
handled sensitively.
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RESERVED
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TELEPHONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
EPA OEP Coordinator
633 3rd Street OEP Coordinator
633 3rd Street Guard
(24-hour operation)
564-2030
564-1916
9-874-5808
EPA Security (Federal -- RRB)
Federal Protective Service
Regional Command Center
EPA Agency Hotline
564-6352
708-1111
564-1000
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oiX
EPA BOMB DATA
INFORMATION
PLACE THIS UNDER YOUR TELEPHONE
QUESTIONS TO ASK
1. When is it going to explode?
2. Where is it right now?
3. What does it look like?
4. What kind of bomb is it?
5. What will cause it to explode?
6. Did YOU place the bomb?
7. What is your name and address?
8. Why did you place the bomb?
Exact Wording of Threat
Write out the message in its entirety and any other comments on a separate sheet of
paper and attach to this checklist.
Action To Take Immediately After Call
"Notify Local Police at 9-911
**Notify FPS Reg. Com. Center at 9-708-1111
"Notify 633 3rd Street Guards at 9-874-5808
"Notify EPA Security at 564-6352
IDENTIFICATION OF PERSON CALLED
Name*
Position:
Location/Phone No. (Home and Office):
Date.
BOMB THREAT CHECKLIST
EPA Form 1480-36 (Rev 07/01) Previous edition is obsolete
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Sex
Date
Race Age
Phone No.
Time (From-To)
Received On
CALLERS VOICE
aCalm
aStutter
aSlow
aDeep
aLoud
QCrying
aNasal
nExcited
a Raspy
aSoft
QCracking
ODisguised
aDeep Breathing a Accent
DFamiliar
DAngry
DLisp
DRapid
Q Ragged
n Laugh
nNormal
nDistinct
nClearing Throat aSlurred
If voice is familiar,
who did it sound like?
oStreet Noise
DAnimals
DPA Systems
oLocal
DHouse Noises
oOther (Explain),
BACKGROUND SOUNDS
D Machinery a Voices
aCrockery aClear
astatic aMusic
aMotor aBooth
a Long Distance
THREAT LANGUAGE
oFoul alncoherent
aTaped aWell Spoken (Educated)
aMessage Read From Written Script
alrrational
Any Other Information That May Aid in Identification of Caller:
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